Devices useful for assembling and binding short run booklets have included staples and stitching, ring binders, prong and post binders, compression clips, heat seal and glue binders, comb and spiral binders (both metal and plastic) and like fasteners, but all of such devices have had problems with their binding process and materials, particularly strength or versatility of the binding devices and materials, permanency of the binding, correctability of the bound work once binding was completed, cost of the equipment and materials, re-usability of the bound work, ease of use and opening and closing and re-opening of the bound work, and other problems.
One new and effective binder is the Spine Binder disclosed in Baumann U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,280, granted Aug. 7, 2001. This spine binder, molded from plastic material, has substantial strength, provides permanent binding, and the spine is also openable if corrections or editing of the bound work is required. The spine binder is characterized by sets of opposed individual ribs or fingers, extending from a dorsal spine hinge, the ribs being cooperatively arranged to mate and snap together when the hinge is manipulated to move the opposed extended fingers together. However, this spine binder does not provide a fast and efficient means for loading the papers to be bound, for preparing the spine binder for use, and for opening and closing the spine binder in a simple and expedient manner because the opposed finger must be disposed properly to meet and separate every time when opening or closing the spine binder. The present invention deals with the binding and opening and rebinding of such a spine binding device and a method for accomplishing the same.